Monday, 16 July 2012

I am so proud of my turnips !! I've never grown them before and since I thinned them out and transplanted the ones I pulled up, these have suddenly grown. I was amazed to see the size of them.

All in all despite the rain I am having some good harvests (when I can get up there in-between showers!) The 'Tayberries' from Victoriana Nursery have been brilliant this year. They are thornless which makes for easy and safe picking. Which is more than I can say for the gooseberries and blackberries which have huge thorns.

The courgette that has turned into a marrow is from my daughters plot. Every year I grow her plants and hers always do better than mine ( so annoying !) and she never gets around to harvesting them before they become too big. I like mine small or medium sized.

There is so much to do up on the plot as the rain has made everything grow so much. The grass and edges need doing, the box hedge needs it's first trim and weeds are rampant. Basically it looks a mess, and I can't do anything about it until we have some decent weather. (if ever !!) sometimes I feel so despondent that I feel like giving up as it's so much work when it isn't done on a regular basis, especially with a fairly big garden as well.

I'm sure we all go through these feelings and when the sun shines again I will probably love it all again. Anyway here is the photo of the harvest and also the lovely Lavender I picked to dry out in the airing cupboard. I have a good stash now to put into the fabric hearts I make and sell. Growing my own saves me quite a bit of money as buying dried lavender is very expensive.

I hope you are having some successful harvests and aren't feeling too depressed with this terrible summer of ours.
M xxx

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Doesn't it make you wonder if it's all worth while ? especially when other people think they have a right to break in and destroy things. Some plot holders speculated that it was kids ! but kids don't go around with screwdrivers do they ? because that's what the perpetrators had with them to enable them to literally unscrew a sheds door hinges when they found they couldn't break the lock.
I wasn't my shed (luckily) but I feel for the couple who have recently taken on the plot and spent lots of time and money on it. Here is a couple of photo's I took of the door.

As you can see they tried to break the lock first and then unscrewed it all. I haven't heard yet if anything was taken. Another shed was broken into too. Even if nothing is missing it make you feel violated and unsafe to leave things around. The last break in they only stole machinery, they knew exactly what they wanted. Amazingly the police found the culprits and the stolen goods. Lesson learnt ! never leave anything of value in allotment sheds.

Allotment update

Just a few photo's I took today around the plot in-between the rain.

These are the turnips that I had to transplant. I cut back the huge leaves before moving to a new bed and they are doing very well. A couple of people asked me to let them know if it worked so here's the proof that the do transplant !

The only Globe Artichoke left out of nine, but I don't mind as they took up too much room and were fiddly to cook, so I will just let this amazing plant flower for the bees who love it.

Tomatoes in the greenhouse doing well, but not as well as the ones growing outside in my garden.

Cucumber ( Marketmore) growing in the greenhouse, I have two growing. I also gave one to a neighbour and his is outside and much bigger than mine.

Carrots, turnips beetroot and spring onions. All in a raised bed that's far too small for them all, so I expect I shall be harvesting baby crops.

One of the many Lavenders on my plot. I have enough plants now to enable me to harvest and dry the flowers for putting in the lavender hearts I make.

A hot little chili grown from seeds I saved last year. They have a strange growing habit as they grow sticking up instead of hanging down. They do turn red and are very fiery.

Very prickly blackberries ! a friend dug some of her blackberry bush up and gave this to me. I think I may regret it as it's taking over and is so dangerous as the thorns are huge.

Just a view

Now this makes me angry !!! it's a plot that as you can see has grown over and is full of weeds ready to blow over all our cultivated plots. it's been given up by the previous tenant since the early spring and still hasn't been given out. We have a long list of people in our area, on the waiting list for an allotment !!!! doesn't make sense does it ???

When are we going to get our Summer ??? what a dreadful year this has been for gardeners .

It's been a long time coming ! but the summerhouse has at last been re-clad in the worst areas and now painted inside all over and outside on the new wood. Bad news though it still has trickles of water trickling in from somewhere !! so we have to clear silicone anywhere we see the teeniest gap. But anyway looking on the bright side I adore the finished interior. It's the nearest I will ever get to owning a beach hut. Here are some photo's

I used Cuprinal 'Shades' in Natural Stone and Country Cream, and it looks so light and airy and such a pleasure to be in. The stacked wooden wine boxes are going to be painted and stacked to make a shelf unit. I also had a lovely Potting table for my birthday which I have painted in Cuprinal' Coastal Blue' unfortunately it can't go in the shed as that's quite full, so it has to be outside the shed where it looks great, but I can only use it in fine weather ( what's that I hear you say !!!!) again here is a photo

Total beach area now what with the shingle!

Hampton Court Flower show

I went with a friend last Wednesday to the members day at Hampton Court. I have never been on a members only day, but I have to say it was worth the extra cost for the tickets as it wasn't as crowded as it is on a non members day. We had a fabulous time and got there about 10.30 and didn't leave until almost 7.30 pm exhausted didn't describe how we felt, but I could easily have gone for another day as I know we missed such a lot, and we didn't stop for most of the day. Apart from food and drink I am happy to say I only bought this bargain metal basket for £5 and it holds my very old clay pots beautifully.

I will post some photo's of the flower show in a day or so. I took so many but lots of them are arty farty ones which will look good on cards. I love to do that sort of photography it's always nice to send a unique card that can't be bought in the shops.

Welcome to my Blog

I started this blog in November 2008. I didn't know where it would go or even if I would keep at it. But here I am now into April 2014 and still blogging and enjoying it. I still remember the excitement when I got my first comment, and now I even have followers, amazing !! I also follow and read a lot of brillient blogs and have made some lovely friends in the blogging world.

It's also very useful keeping a diary about my allotment and it serves as a personal record of my achievements and of my failures. In fact when I re-read some of my older entries it makes me wonder how I managed back then to find the time to get the allotment plot up to the planting and growing stage, but I did and I grew a great variety of vegetables and fruit in my first year, and it's just got better.

If you are dropping by please feel free to leave a comment or a link to your blog, or just say hello or even e-mail me.

You may like to visit my other blog as well which is about my crafts and recipies. click on the link below.

Handy Links to other useful websites

Heart of Stones

A favourite poem

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,Enwrought with the golden and silver lightThe blue and the dim and the dark clothsOf night and light and the half-light,I would spread the cloths under your feetBut I, being poor, have only my dreams;I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;Tread softly because you tread on my dreams...